FAISALABAD: Punjab Minister for Excise and Taxation Hafiz Mumtaz Ahmad Friday said that all administrative machinery of Punjab was active to supervise sugarcane crushing season for safeguarding the rights of farmers under the directions of CM Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar.
Chairing a meeting to review sugarcane crushing season, here at Circuit House, he said that provincial ministers and high ranking officers of different departments were inspecting the crushing season during their visits to different areas of the province.
He directed the district administration to take immediate action against the sugar mills involved in the issuance of a simple receipt and less weighing of sugarcane.
He said that no complaint of the farmer should be reported during the crushing season as the Punjab government was very serious to protect the interest of the farmers. He said that payment of sugarcane should be ensured as per schedule.
Giving briefing, DC informed the minister that fine of Rs 1.361 million had been imposed on the middlemen and sub-standard weighing bridges while 109 cases had been got lodged against the middlemen besides arresting 25 accused during the monitoring of crushing season.
CPO Ashfaq Ahmad Khan, ADCR Tariq Khan Niazi, Assistant Commissioners Nazia Mohal, Shahid Nadeem, Syed Tanvir Murtaza, Khurram Shahzad Bhatti, Aurangzaib, DD Food Aman Ullah Somro, DO Industries Khalid Mehmood, other officials and representative of farmers and sugar mills were also present in the meeting.